Sensory Overload
by McAwsome
Summary: Sometimes being a small Togruta on a loud, cramped ship can be overwhelming.
1. Chapter 1

Anakin needed a break.

They were set to deploy in under an hour, and his young, inexperienced, wide-eyed Padawan had not left his side since takeoff. She was constantly asking questions about the ship, the clones, and himself.

He couldn't blame her - this was just the second time she had been on the ship, after all - but he did wish she could contain herself a little more.

He was currently reading a battle strategy Rex had suggested, Ahsoka breathing down his shoulder.

"Hey, Snips?"

"Yes, Master?"

"Why don't you..." How could he get rid of her? He looked down at the battle plans.

Rex.

"Why don't you go find Rex? See if there's anything you can help with." She instantly perked up, eager to do something exciting. He hated doing this to his Captain - Force knows the man had put up with the youngling enough already - but Anakin needed a minute to himself.

"He should be in the hanger. Have him call me when you get there."

She nodded before exiting the room, only to lean back in a moment later.

"Is it left at the end of the hall, or right?"

"Left." She smiled sheepishly, quickly skipping down the hall.

 _Finally. Silence._

Ahsoka, after many wrong turns, found herself in front of the large, durasteel hanger doors. They were opened, allowing busy crew members access. Hundreds of clones were in the vast room, all doing their part to prepare for the upcoming fight.

Due to her limited height, Ahsoka couldn't see very far across the hanger, so she instead reached out with the Force, searching for Rex. The amount of activity was overwhelming. So much living Force all pressed into one area, filled with anticipation and urgency.

She quickly retreated. There was so much... energy. The Force here was so alien to that at the temple, much more robust and active. There was no way for her to find the Captain amongst that storm of life, so she would have to search with her other senses.

She hesitantly slid into the crowd. There were so many sounds. So many movements. All foreign and unfamiliar. They kept the LAAT/i gunships toward the back wall - that was the most likely place for Rex to be. Most of the men tried to give their commanding officer space, but she was lost in the hustle, much smaller than them.

There was so much happening. Too much. She was crowded. Trapped between soldiers much larger than herself, unable to see her destination through the crowd. There was so much movement. So many vibrations. Overwhelmed by the stimuli and caught in her sudden panic, she froze in the middle of the hanger. She was trembling, she realized. And it was hard to breath. There wasn't enough air.

She tried desperately to calm herself.

There were so many people. So much _sound_. Bangs and clatters and yelling. Engines and alarms. _Movement_.

It all echoed in her montrals.

Every footstep. Every breath. Breath. It was so hard to breathe.

Anakin placed the datapad down, casting a glance at the chrono. Twenty minutes had passed since he sent his Padawan to search for Rex, and he had yet to receive a call.

 _What did she do this time?_

He raised the comlink to his lips. She had better not have wandered off.

" _General Skywalker._ " He could barely make out the words through the sound of power tools.

"Captain. Is Ahsoka with you?"

There was a pause. Anakin could almost hear the dots connecting in the clones head.

" _No, sir. Would you like me to find her for you?_ "

 _Great_ , he thought, _just great._

"I'll take care of it."

He ended the connection with a heavy sigh. If he had money, he would bet every last cent that Obi-Wan had handpicked Ahsoka. He stood, quickly making his way down the halls.

He reached into the Force, trying to tap the minuscule training bond they had formed. She was close, but that was all he could determine through the fog of pre-battle excitement.

He made it to the hanger and still hadn't seen her. Either she was inside the massive room, or she had gotten _very_ lost.

He strained to see over the troops, hoping to catch a glimpse of orange skin. Those hopes were fulfilled when he spotted her standing halfway between himself and the gunships. Anakin hurried through the crowd, trying to reach his apprentice before she moved.

Finally he was close enough to get a good view of her. She was standing in place, her back toward him.

"Ahsoka!"

She spun around, and he was surprised to see tears running down her cheeks.

 _Ahsoka, what have you done?_

He scanned over her, searching for signs of injury. She had started to hyperventilate, and was visibly shaking.

"Hey, shh... What's the matter?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to get her wide, dilated eyes to focus on him. She was trying to speak, but between her rapid breathing, hiccups, and the sound of machinery, he couldn't understand.

"What is it?" He prompted, gently taking her hand to still it.

"Do-on't touch me!" She raised her voice toward the end, suddenly jerking back from him.

Anakin sat on his heels, taken aback. Something had clearly upset her, but he had no idea what. She closed her eyes tightly, tears spilling down as she placed her sweaty, trembling hands on her montrals.

Was it the noise? He knew Togruta had incredible hearing, he had seen it first hand on Christophsis and Teth. Maybe the sound bothered her.

"I need you to tell me what's wrong." He tried again. "Does something hurt?"

She was moving her mouth, trying to say something, but unable to. She was struggling for breath, and it would be difficult to help her here. So he did the only thing he could think to. He picked her up.

"Don't to-ouch m-e!"

He ignored her protests, silently willing the men to do the same, and carried her to the exit. After turning down a corridor, into a much quieter area, he sat her down.

She still clutched her head, but her breathing had slowed into deep gasps - that could only be good.

They sat there for several minutes, the only sound being Ahsoka's heavy breath, and an occasional sniff. Her hands slowly dropped from her montrals, instead wrapping around herself in an improvised hug. She avoided his gaze, staring at the floor in what he could only assume was embarrassment.

"All good now?" He kept his voice as low as possible. She nodded, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Do you want anything?"

She shook her head.

"You're sure? You look like you could use a hug." He wasn't big on hugs, but the kid sure looked like she could use the support.

"Can I hug you?" He asked, leaning down further to get in her line of sight. He finally managed to catch her eyes. Slowly, so slowly, her arms dropped. She nodded, allowing him to wrap his arms around her.

It was so strange to not hear her talking. He had known her less than a week, and in that time she had chattered nonstop. Whatever it was must have rattled her good. He broke away once she calmed down.

"What happened?"

She looked away, biting her lip.

"It was loud."

Anakin rose an eyebrow. He wasn't an expert, but he had never heard of simple noise triggering such a reaction. Though with her advanced hearing it probably was quite overwhelming. He was just glad she calmed down.

"Hey, Skyguy?"

He looked up at his Padawan. She wore the most thankful, humble expression he had seen from her so far.

"Thanks."

"Of cou-" He was cut off by a shrill ringing - they had made enemy contact.

"Race ya!" She yelled, starting for the hanger.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

 _So much for gratitude._

 **And there ya go! Sorry it's been awhile guys, but the wait is over!**

 **A big thanks goes to The-Singular-Peep for all her assistance, and the basic idea for this fic.**

 **For those that don't know, what Ahsoka is experiencing is called 'sensory overload'. The simplest way to explain it is that everything happens too much, and every little thing bothers you - a lot of sound or movement can cause it. PM me with any questions you have. I don't bite! :)**

 **And last, but certainly not least - Thank you so much to anyone who favorited/followed/reviewed! You guys are awesome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**My first multi-chapter story! Whoohooo! This is set to take place after the space battle from the previous chapter, enjoy!**

 ***I do not own Star Wars the clone wars***

Anakin landed his fighter, setting it down next to his Padawan's. She had left the battle earlier, and he didn't see her in the hanger. He jumped out of his ship and stopped the nearest trooper.

"Have you seen Ahsoka?" He asked. The clone, who's name slipped his mind, nodded.

"She landed around twenty minutes ago. I believe she went that way." He gestured toward the large exit doors. Anakin thanked him before leaving the hanger. The most likely place for her to go was her quarters, he supposed. Despite her panic attack she had performed wonderfully throughout the battle, but she had yet to tell him exactly what happened. He just needed to check on her.

He hadn't wanted a Padawan - he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility - But he had to admit the kid had grown on him. And the troops. Having her around brought an air of energy that seemed to do everyone good.

He walked through the maze of hallways, eventually coming to Ahsoka's room. He took a moment to reach out with the Force, confirming she was there. He knocked lightly on the door.

There was a patter of footsteps, then the door slid open. The fresh scent and steam that he was met with made it clear she had just finished a shower. Ahsoka stood there, nervously looking up at him. He guessed it was just embarrassment - the earlier events must have been a huge blow to her prideful attitude.

"Hey, Snips." He greeted gently. "Can I come in?" An uncertain expression flickered across her face, but she stepped aside and let him in. Anakin crossed the room and took a seat on her bed, then motioned her to join him. She did, walking over slowly and sitting beside him. She avoided his gaze, instead looking at her fidgeting hands.

"You're not in any trouble, Ahsoka. You didn't do anything wrong, I just came to see if you're okay." She finally looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, mumbling a small "yeah."

"Could you tell me what happened?" He asked. He was trying his best to channel his master's calm, conversational tone. She paused as if searching for the right words.

"I got... overwhelmed. There was a lot going on, and it was loud. I just got really overwhelmed." She sheepishly looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Not everyone can be as flawless as me." He joked, and puffed out his chest. Ahsoka snorted and playfully hit his arm.

"You wish!"

He laughed, but quickly returned to being serious. "Has that ever happened before?"

"Yeah. It actually happens a lot." She said, smile fading.

"How much is a lot?" Anakin, like any responsible guardian, was concerned. Why was he just now hearing about this?

Ahsoka started to count on her fingers while mumbling to herself. "Well, not counting the first day - 'cause that was pure chaos - this is the fifth time since I met you."

A week. The fifth time this week. How had he not noticed?

"Why didn't you tell me?" He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. Again, she snorted.

"You already don't think I'm capable enough to be your Padawan. If you knew I couldn't even walk across the hanger bay without losing it _of course_ you'd send me back! Any master would!" Anakin was shocked. Yes, he had talked about sending her back to the temple, but that was before he had even given her a chance.

"I'm not just any master, Snips. You should know that by now." Her, very wide, eyes shot back to his, a hopeful smile pulling at her lips.

"So you're not going to send me back?"

"Never!" He smiled. "You've grown on us. I don't think the men would let me." She giggled, such a happy, bubbly sound, and he couldn't stop his smile from widening.

"So," he spoke after her laughing had stopped. "What am I supposed to do if it happens again?"

"You could start by _not_ picking me up." She said, casting a glare at him. He smiled sheepishly. "Other than that I'm not sure. Maybe get me to _walk_ somewhere more quiet, or try talking to me. I usually just have to wait until it stops, though." He nodded his understanding.

"Promise you'll tell me next time?" He asked.

"As long as you promise not to tell anyone else... Deal?" She extended her hand for him to shake, which he did.

"Deal."

"Not even Rex?"

"Not even Rex." He confirmed, and gave her head a reassuring pat.

"And, Master?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." Anakin chuckled.

"That's alright. I yelled at my master, too."

"Really? The great Anakin Skywalker yelled at his master?"

"All the time! I'm sure he'd love to tell you about it."

"I'll ask him when he gets back." He didn't doubt that. In fact, that was likely to be the first thing Obi-Wan heard once on the ship. Not that his old master would mind - the man relished any opportunity to share a good story.

Anakin checked the chrono hanging on the wall. "He'll be arriving anytime now. You want to go greet him?" He asked. She gave an enthusiastic nod before skipping across the room, and out the door, only to walk back in a moment later.

"Left?"

"Left."

She gave a small wave, which he returned, and resumed her childish jog down the hall. _Having an apprentice isn't that bad_ , he thought. _Maybe this will work out._

 **Sorry for the long wait, but it's finally here! I've decided to turn this into a oneshot series. It'll be update whenever inspiration strikes, so feel free to leave any suggestions or requests, I love to hear from you! A huge thanks goes to The-Singular-Peep for all her contributions, and to anyone who favorited, reviewed, or followed. Thank you all so much!**

 **reveiws are helpful and motivating, please leave one!**


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